Wood was a prominent London shoemaker during the Regency era, frequently mentioned on Jane Austen and Regency blogs. His trade card, housed in the John Johnson Collection at the Bodleian Library, served as the foundation for curating his brand into the 21st century. The original card shows a sales assistant serving a lady dressed in a white empire line gown. It’s an evocative image that inspired this modern interpretation.

 

Berlin Wool Embroidery
Berlin woolwork was a popular craft across Europe at the time Pride and Prejudice was published. It adorned everything from reticules to screens, fans, and slippers. While I found no evidence that Wood produced Berlin-embroidered slippers, the pairing felt natural. It became a creative fusion of period trends and craftsmanship.

 

Stockings and Tights
Stockings as we know them today weren’t invented until the 1920s. However, when the .ai misinterpreted my use of “stockings” and generated tights instead, I decided to lean into this unexpected direction. The resulting images narrate a progression from the bare foot, to stockings, and finally to tights. They explore a mix of Regency inspiration and modern creativity.

 

Branding and Storytelling
We created the print artwork using the crest and frame from one of Wood’s original advertisements. The idea was to frame the foot so that, although the model’s dress is visible, the focus remains on the shoe. Including a reference to the history of hosiery within the set adds a different flavour to an already image-rich story.